Human Rights Organizations urge French President to speak out for human rights
during visit to Vietnam

VCHR -
04 Sept, 2016

PARIS 4 September
2016 (VCHR) – Three France-based human rights organizations, the FIDH, the
Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) and the French League for Human Rights
(LDH) have sent an Open Letter to French President François Hollande on the
eve of his visit to Vietnam (5th – 7th September 2016). On behalf of their
organizations, Dimitris Christopoulos(FIDH President), Vo Van Ai (VCHR
President) and Françoise Dumont(President, LDH) called upon the French President
to raise urgent human rights issues in his discussions with the Vietnamese
leadership, in particular the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression,
religion and peaceful assembly. They urged President Hollande to press Vietnam
to cease political repression of human rights defenders, bloggers and government
critics, and release all persons detained for the peaceful expression of their
political opinions or religious beliefs.